Some telephone companies (e.g., NBTel, New Brunswick, Canada) have been heavily involved with the development and use of both call centre services and Internet services. More specifically, efforts have been underway to utilize CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) within call centres to improve the productivity and service levels within call centres. CTI uses integration capabilities in various manners to assist telephone users who have access to computer equipment to improve the process of making or receiving phone calls. Call centre technology generally uses both computer equipment and telecommunications equipment with CTI being a key element of productive call centres.
The use of new Internet services such as WWW servers to allow organizations to interact with their customers in a self service mode is also being promoted. These WWW servers utilize hypertext and multimedia content to allow customers to see text, images, etc. associated with products and services.
Due to human nature and other factors these customers frequently need human assistance to completely satisfy their needs and would likely jot down an 800 telephone number with a pencil and paper. They would then call the 800 number to gain access (if the 800 zone coverage was appropriate) to an ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) centre belonging to that organization. Under many circumstances today they would then sit frustrated in an ACD queue awaiting the availability of a live agent. Thus, there are at least two disadvantages of current systems. First, the need for the customer to physically record and dial the 800 number is a disincentive to making the call. Secondly, the likelihood of waiting in long ACD queues is also a disincentive to making the call. Once the call is made, the queue may also result in the call being terminated before successful completion because of the delay experienced.
A recent improvement in the integration of computers and telephones is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,710. A system is disclosed which lets telemarketing agents who are answering calls for multiple campaigns simultaneously, to be set up automatically in their computing environment at the correct campaign based upon the phone number dialed by the customer, and to receive caller related information automatically. However, the user is required to physically dial an 800 number, and likely must wait in an ACD queue.
Furthermore, although the agent is set up at the correct campaign, a more accurate initial setup, which for example incorporates the specifics of the customer's queries, is not possible. Finally, this system is not designed for helping users of the Internet.